Fighting against the time
by Justme210
Summary: The war with Aizen apparently produced more sacrifices than anyone would believe. Each one paid a big price for the defeat of the villainous Captain. But what will be the consequences?
1. Chapter 1

Fighting against the time

Summary: The war with Aizen apparently produced more sacrifices than anyone would believe. Each one paid a big price for the defeat of the villainous Captain. But what will be the consequences?

Ichigo still was not awake from his unconscious state. Inside of his word he was fighting with his hollow and demons who were trying to dominate his body since the disappearance of Zangetsu.

Rukia has lost the ability to communicate with her zampakutou and she was locked in the Kuchiki residence and guarded by some of the ablest officers of the Seireitrei till she will recover her abilities. Her brother did not want to take any chances for his sister to get hurt.

Sado / Chad became a semi-man semi-arrancar and he was currently in the jail waiting for his fate to be decided.

Ishida became an interesting research material for Mayuri captain. Apparently his Quincy powers began to act crazy prompting him terrible pain what could not be cured with any form of kidou. So the strange captain was one of his only chances to return to normal.

Orihime was in a very horrible state. Her body was pale and she could not move herself at all. Since she was released under Aizen's possession she could not contact her fairies and she completely blamed herself for the condition of her friends. Once again it proved that she is just a burden, or at least that that was what she was thinking.

Unohana entered in one of the division 4 private salons to check on her preferred patient. Orihime looked increasingly worse, but the captain was not going to tell her that.

She sat next to her bed as usual and she started to check her vitals. But it was nothing good. Despite her horrible condition Orihime surprised the capitan to see her rising out of the bed and heading to the door.

The captain succeeded to catch her before her body could hit the floor, after which she helped her to sit herself again on the horrible bed.

"Inoue-san, I told you that you should not push yourself too hard. Your body is not recovered completely yet. You need time until you could walk alone." The woman said trying to give her a warm smile, but that did not prevent the girl to rise again.

"Unohana-san, thank you for your concern, but I can not stay here. I have to go to Ichigo and the rest of my friends as I still have time. They need me." she said looking seriously at the captain. Unohana is surprised, but also touched by the girl's words. She was thinking about others even when she was in suck a shape. Her altruism truly has no limit. She really wanted to help her, but she also knew that if she will overwork this will be probably to be her end. Feeling the captain's concerd Orihime squeezed her hands together trying to tell her that she would be fine, although she doubted herself of her words.

"Okay. I'll let you, but I will accompany you. When your condition will worsen we will be back and you need to promise me that you will stay quiet until you are healed. Do you find it agreeable?"

"More than that."

The two women exchange a few glances after that they start in their little trip.

Their first stop was in the jail. Orihime felt a chill when all prisoner's gazes rested on her and the atmosphere was definitely not improved by the Soi Fong's presence.

Orihime did not know why the captain Division 2 chose to accompany them, but she was grateful for the fact that it was not as difficult as usual.

After a few minutes of walking while Orihime was fighting to control her heavy breathing they finally ended up in the room where it was kept her good friend.

The long bars, the big wounds on his body and especially the dirt around him made him look like a real monster. The girl tried to approach him, but giant raised himself with the intention to hit his new visitor.

Fortunately Soi Fong was careful and she stopped the attack before the orange haired girl could be hurt. Orihime was looking shocked at the terrible state in which her friend is and felt she like the heart was hurting herself more thinking about the suffering what he must to endure.

"Do you think you can repair him ?" Soi Fong said maintaining her firm position.

"I'm not sure, but I'm going to try. I will not stand idly watching how dear friend of mine is about to be killed." she said becoming increasingly more serious and preparing to call her fairies.

Soi Fong looked admiringly at her. The former captain never thought that she could be so strong. She was always thought of her like as a weak link and that she was part of the group only because of hers special healing abilities.

But it seems that the girl was really a fighter.

After several attempts she succeded to hor her reject shield around the boy. Sado began to behave aggressively and he was trying to escape from under the gold shield.

"Sado-kun, do not worry. Everything will be fine. I'm here. Just sit quietly for several minutes after which you will be free. I promise." She said giving him a warm smile.

The beast seemed to start calm and he repeated several times her name.

"Arigato, Sado-kun. I knew I could count on you."

With that last words being said the beast settled down completely and the girl started the process to eliminate his hollow of him. Maybe the idea sounds pretty simplistic, but it was far from being so easily. The process required a lot of energy and concentration. If she would do something wrong she could have permanently delete his soul.

A few drops of blood poured from her nose in the process, but she does not stop to clear them. Sado deserves her full attention so she will not let herself influenced by something so minor.

Unohana wanted to stop her, but it looks like it will help her. The flow of her spiritual energy it had never been so stable since her return for Hueco Mundo and it seems that her efforts had even results. The giant was becoming increasingly more human.

"I must admit that Inoue-san is really impressive. I did not think she would be capable of it and especially after the traumatic experience that she had lived and if you consider the fact that her body is so weak it made you to remain simply speechless. " Unohana said carefully examining her body. A feeling of sadness was being emanated with her reyatsu and Soi Fong remained silent pretending to ignore the words of her colleague. Unohana-san had never been a talkative person, and her words were usually to relieve the sick or to intimidate the world. That was the first time she ever heard her to praise someone what made her wonder more about her true abilities.

Shortly before Orihime succeded to heal him or at least that seemed so, she passed out from lack of energy. The captain of the division 4 was hurrying to reach her and to offer to her the first aid. But she was so lost that she was not able to respond at the captain's to attempts to resuscitate her.

Her pulse felt sharply and apparently irremediable. Was this to be her end?


	2. Chapter 2

Some hours have passed since then and Orihime has not yet opened her eyes. She was sitting on a bed wearing a white dress. Her amber hair had not lost its shine and it was emphasizing her beautiful features.

Her skin was pale and her heart was beating so slowly that it was barely mentaining her alive. Her room was protected by several members of the division number 4. It was so quiet. Only the sound of some divices diminished the silence.

She was aware of everything what was around her, but she was so weak. Her body was terribly heavy, and the simply fact to breathe it was completely exhausting her. A weak smile and a few tears shall cover her face highlighting her regret that her time it's over, and despite of that she has so many things to do.

She wanted to live any longer than maybe for just another few moments: to heal and to revisit her friends for the last time, but the pain that she felt reminded her that these thoughts are downright impossible.

The pain has already started to affect even her thinking. Anothers tears were leaking, then she was ready to accept her fate. She succumbed herself to the darkness and she was feing like her existence is about to end.

She had never thought that death can be so warm and that it could give her a sense of peace so pleasant. Her spirit was about to leave her body when her salon door opened and a voice broke the silence.

Has body was already engulfed by the darkness, but she was still able to recognize the timbre of his voice. It was as strong as usual and equally determined, but something was changed.

His voice was hoarse, betraying him that he was fighting hard not to succumb to his feelings. Her heart felt like it was falling apart feeling that he was hurt. She had never wanted him to suffer because of her, but perhaps this was going to happen anyway.

Eventually the eternal life is impossible and he was supposed to know it the best. He saw many people loosing theirs lifes, he fought in many dangerous battles and he even fought himself with the death to have a second chance.

Eventually he should not feel so much sadness because of her. She was just a girl, she did not even know if she could call herself his friend. He had just started his life and he has many friends and she was sure that he will make more.

Eventually he will forget her, and he will continue his like like nothing happened. All what happened just happened and now she had to take the consequences for her actions.

Orihime felt her body was raised and she can fell pleasant warmth. His arms were wrapped around her abdomen, and he let his head on her shoulder.

"Inoue .." he said after he embraced her stronger. "I'll never forgive you if you are going to leave us. I'm not going to let you leave us. Do you hear me? Do not you dare die. I do not know what the hell happened to you, but there must be a way to be well. I'll threatened Urahara, hell I'll turn against the whole world only to make you to feel good again. I had already lost an important person to me and I do not want to lose the another. So please lives, Inoue. "

The tears began to drain her heavily. The darkness of death was banished by the light of his words. The pain started to go away so she wrapped her arms around him. Ichigo startled feeling her touch.

"Arigato, Kurosaki-kun."

Her voice was like a song that his ears had been waiting so long to hear. Everything seemed unreal. A few moments ago he could have sworn that he was going to lose her forever, and now she had just spoken with him.

There were no words to explain what he felt. He was still confused. When he heard that her condition was worsened he ran without to think twice. He ran like a madman chasing her spiritual energy.

He defeated all the people who tried to keep him away from her. He felt pain tearing his heart when he saw her in that state. Now he felt relaxed, even happy that he was the person who was able to help her to recover herself.

Her warmth, her touch, her energy made him to feel as he was home. He does not care that their embrace probably attracted the curious's attention. He does not care if his reputation will be affected.

All that mattered was the girl in his arms and that she was safe. After some time Orihime withdraw herself, her cheeks were red from being near him. Ichigo wanted to help her to stretch herself to find a comfortable position trying to mask the fact that he was still sad that she was no longer in his arms.

"Are you hurt?" she asked tirelessly to give him the answer. She was aware that currently she can mentain her possition, which it should to reassure his worries.

"I'm fine." he muttered annoyed that she was worrying for him at a time like this. She was the person who almost died. She should to be more worried about herself.

Her hand shyly slided over his palm what made him focus on her eyes. Her look was radiant as usual, although there was something behind it, something unknown to him yet.

"I'm sorry, Kurosaki-kun. I did not want to worry you." she said with tears on her face. She felt ashamed because she had to be rescued again and because she did not fight more for her own life.

Maybe there was something inside her that made her to think that her friends's lives would be better without her existence. Her friends would never be hurt again.

On the other hand Ichigo did not know how to react to her words. He was nervous because she apologized to him. She had nothing for to apologize herself to him. Eventually he promised to her long time ago that he will protect her and he will do so until the last moment.

That fact that he nearly lost her was bad enough, but her eyes seemed to have lost their luster because she was probably thinking that she's a burden. He was not going to let her suffer.

What followed surprised even him. He did not know when or how, but his lips were glued to hers. The girl did not opposed she was only looking at him surprised. Her lips open instead of allowing him to taste her.

Ichigo was attracted by her call and he introduced his tongue inside her mouth. Her body vibrated when his tongue touched hers. Their kiss was slightly shy at first, none of them wanting to make the other to feel incomfortable, then it was turned into a more intense one.

Orihime has wrapped her hands around his neck urging him to not stop what he was doing. Gradually he was dominating her, her body heated to the feeling of having him so close. The feeling was mutual, and Ichigo wanted someone to interrupt them before he will lose his self-control.

Maybe it was luck or bad luck who knows, but they had heard some knocking and Ishida made his appearence. It was possible that this is the first time when the teenager was glad that Quincy's made his appearance, but he was also nervous because his body was far away from hers. Life can be so difficult, huh?

"Hello, Inoue-san. Are you okay? I heard what happened. I'm sorry that I did not come sooner." he said taking her hand in his and looking at her worried. Ichigo is wary, though he felt jealous.

Ishida was too close to her and he was behaving too nice for someone who was just a friend. Orihime laught nervous and she scratched her neck in an attempt to remove Ichigo's worries and to calm the atmosphere.

"Ishida-kun, I'm fine. I just .. huh ... I was just exhausted. I guess I'm fine now. I think a simple exhaustion is not able to do too much harm to me." The two boys have addressed a doubtful look to her in the same time what made her to bite her tongue.

Ishida opened his mouth in an attempt to say something, and Ichigo was about to punch him, but the two stop immediately when they felt the spiritual energy of Captain Unohana.

"Good morning, Orihime." she said seeming to fully ignore the boys's presence. "I'm glad you feel better. Oh, and I see that you have guests." She said focusing to the two. "Coincidentally do you somehow know why members of my division are unaware?"

Ichigo tried to maintain his normal behavior even though he could swear that Unohana could see the truth behind his behavior. On the other hand Ishida started to sweat a lot, and he began to preach to Ichigo a speech that he should not be so violent.

The atmosphere seemed to become violent again between the two, but Unohana tempered them again addressing them a killer's gaze.

"Guys, I'd appreciate if you would leave. I have something that I must discuss with my patient, in particular."

The two boys had gone quicker than they came, and they had promised that they would return soon. When the girls are completely alone Orihime took her courage and asked.

"How long do I have?"

"Not more than 2 weeks ..."


End file.
